Mandy Moore Slams ‘Controlling’ Ex Ryan Adams in Shocking New York Times Exposé

On Wednesday (February 13), The New York Times published a rather shocking exposé in which seven women and more than a dozen associates opened up about Ryan Adams' pattern of manipulative behavior and abuse. One of those women was the singer-songwriter's ex-wife, Mandy Moore.

In the article, the singer/actress said that “music was a point of control" for her ex. She explained how she met the then 33-year-old when she was at a pivotal point in her career, breaking away from teen pop. After releasing her sixth album Amanda Leigh shortly after marrying Adams in 2009, and parting ways with her manager, he discouraged her from working with other producers or management teams. They wrote songs together with the promise of recording, but that never came to fruition. They also recorded at his home studio, only for him to replace her vocals with another female artist. She said he would lash out in ways that were psychologically abusive.

“He would always tell me, ‘You’re not a real musician, because you don’t play an instrument,;" she recalled.

Though she divorced Adams in 2016, Amanda Leigh is the last album the 34-year-old star released. “His controlling behavior essentially did block my ability to make new connections in the industry during a very pivotal and potentially lucrative time — my entire mid-to-late 20s,” she said.